Cold Reading
A mentalist technique in which the practitioner or performer asks general questions of an audience or large group until a subject volunteers a level of responsiveness and feedback – ‘co-operates’ – as will allow a narrowing or focusing of the questions. In the context of ‘psychic readings’, such as those conducted by the likes of modern-day ‘mediums’ or ‘clairaudients’ john+edward or Doris Stokes (http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/vol1no1.pdf) an impression can be reinforced in the minds of audience members that such folk are in communication with deceased relatives and friends (or even the dead rich and famous), whose intact consciousness now resides on the other side, in a spiritual realm of some sort.

For example, usually starting with questions of the kind “I’m getting the letter ‘J’, is that James or John?”†

After a subject identifies with this hook the performer moves towards ambiguous declarations such as “I’m getting something here” – gesturing, say at his or her head or chest – implying something like “Did poor Jack ‘pass over’ because of a condition relating to or centred around his heart, lungs, or brain, etc.?”

What happens now depends upon the subject’s reaction, for instance, if the subject nods or makes a favourable facial expression the reader might throw out a more specific offering – whether it is a statement or a question isn’t always clear – “John’s heart(?)”.

However, if this fishing for a J response were to net nothing the reader will (eventually) cut their losses with a “I’m not getting anything” and move on to a different tack. The reader may imply to the audience that they are not trying hard enough, after all this communication will only be succeed if they want it to, and probably also drop a hint blaming the lines of communication, that is, the psychic vibrations, between this world and the next. If the reader ever apologizes for any failure to produce a message, it will be with the clear implication that the process involves forces which, our reader cannot, by definition, exercise control over.

It will be noted that this procedure begins with the reader throwing out questions of a general nature which will be likely to correspond with the interests of most of or a cross-section of the audience, so in the above example given that most, if not almost all, audience members have attended on the basis of hoping to receive a communication from their deceased loved one(s), asking whether a J means anything to anyone present, the circumstances are conducive to a positive response, i.e., any name of interest beginning with or having some kind of unspecified J connexion. Once a ‘sitter’ is hanging on the hook as it were a successful performance rests upon the skill of the reader to draw information from and to size up the ‘punter’: people’s appearance and behaviour will give the reader some hints about the ‘sitter’ and allow the reader to hone his or her utterances to the ‘sitter’s’ hopes and expectations, for example, elderly Vera wants to receive a comforting message from her late husband Harold. Given time and with some careful handling and acting as a good listener and observer the reader has an opportunity to persuade the ‘sitter’ (and the rest of the audience) of his or her ability to communicate with those ‘passed over’.

It should be borne in mind that to work effectively this process requires the ready and active participation and sympathies of the audience. Their expectations concerning the nature of the performance – that the psychic will ‘speak’ to the dead – and their desire to be told of contact with deceased loved ones, as well as their interest and willingness to provide feedback and interpret the (frequently ambiguous) pronouncements of the reader form a major foundation for the success of the performance, alongside the practitioner’s skill and quick wit in reading the ‘sitter’ and the developing situation.

The audience’s attention is unlikely to dwell upon any dry spots where the artist fails to produce ‘the goods’, while tending to remember the ‘hits’ and especially what they consider to be the bullseyes. (see: Subjective Validation, Selective exposure, Confirmation bias).

Cold reading is used when the performer has an audience of unknown quantity and is a method of guessing names, relationships, events, and situations which might relate to and be found meaningful by audience members. In contrast, hot reading involves the reader using previously-obtained (prior to the session) specific, accurate information about particular ‘sitters’, and then revealing it to those ‘sitters’ in a convincing manner.

The theatre of cold reading –  throwing out letters and common names, etc., and trusting that an audience member will supply the link, then guessing or even simply asking the ‘linker’ what the relationship is and after that having the ‘sitter’ accept the revelation convinces the unwary that the reader has contacted the dead.

Still others are astonished that such a procedure can actually ‘work’! 

† – note that asking this immediately brings to mind not just James or John, but also Jim, Jimmy, Jonathan, Johnny, Jack, Jacques, etc., but really any name or connexion involving a J which has significance to the ‘sitter’.

 (see also: Forer (Barnum) effect, Nostramdamus effect)